Improvement in ventilation



E. Y. ROBBINS, OF

PATENT OFFICE.

CINCINNATI, Ol-IIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN VENTILATION.

Specieation forming part ot' Letters Patent No. 35,1l77,-dated May 6, 1862.

To all 10710711/ 2'/ lll/fry col/067714 Be it known that l, E. Y. ROHBINS, ot? the city ot Cincinnati, cl'iunty ol Hamilton, and State ot' Ohio, have invented an Improvement inthe lllethod ol' \\'ar1ning and Ventilating Dwellings, School llouses, Churches, Railroad-Cars, ttc.; and Vl' hereby declare that the following is a correct and l'ull descril'ition tliereol', reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, which 'orm a parl ol' this speritieation.

'Ihe improvement consists, mainly, in applying the heat to the entire lower part oil the room to be warmed, so that it shall be at least as warm at the lloor as at the ceiling, in connection with the use ol a very large non-metallic wa rming-su rlace kept at a low temperature, against which the fresh air afterward to be admitted linto the room is made to circulate, so as to warm it onlr to such a mm'lerate degree that when it enters the room it shall remain in. the lower part, where it is wanted for respiration, and not rise at once to the ceiling, as is the case with ou r present methods otheating. 'lheheatis in general generated below the room or roomsl to be warmed and may be carried up by means of hot water, steam, or hot air, as I do not eontine myself to any one medium or agent ot conduction. In case ci' using hot water or steam I make the boiler l, Figures ll and S, ot a cylindrical or oval cylindrical shape, the lire being everywhere surrounc'led by a cztsing of water, IV', Figs. l and S, except in front, where the door o, Fig. 8, and smoke-pipe are placed.

B, Fig. l, represents a trout view, and A, Fig. S, a longitudinal section. of theboiler.

To increase the extent ot water-surface ex.- posed to the tire, I place a hollow plate filled with water in the interior of the tire-chainber, which communicates with. the water in the side casing, extending back to within a few `inches of the back` end otf the tire-chamber. This plate is shown at A, Figs. S and l. The fuel being put in at the door h, Fig. S, the tlame circulates backward below and forward above said plate, as represented bythe arrows.

R, Fig. l, represents the inlxfriorot a room, church, or railroad-car. Immediately below this room and bounded above by the tloor of the room and below by a surface of lath and plaster or other suitable material is a space, C,

' Fig. l, extending under theentiro `roon1,ortl1e greater part oli' it, which I call the hot-air chambcr0r reservoir of heat.7 This hot-air chamber does not open into the room, and the air in it has no communication with the air in the room, as il is not designed for respiration. This hot-air chamber may be heated either by hot-wat er pipes or steam-pipes, or by hot air trom a t'nrnacc being thrown into it by the ordinary pipes` leadingiroin such furnaces. In this latter case the air must be kept below a burning temperature, or else the floor must be made ol' non-eombustille materials, such as tiles, (te.

Fig. i represenlsa horizontal section ol this hot-air chamber heated by hot-water pipes. The hot water rises through the pipe I), Figs. S and l, Yfrom the top ol3` the boiler, and, tlowing into the expansion-tub '.I, Figs. l and 2, passes thence through the coils ot' the pipe j), Fig. LI, and returns to the bottom of the boiler through the pipe l, Fig. S.

S, Figs. l and 2, is a safety-pipe leading from the expansion-tub to conduct olf any steam or an overflow' of hot water in case the heat should becometoo intense. rPhe rising of the water in the expansion-tub may, by means of a float connected with a rod or chain extending down to the furnace, be made to close a damper and so check. the tire.

The arrangement of the pipes for warming the hot-air chamber, whether containing hot water or steam, may be varied at pleasure. It hot air is used, after being made to circulate through the hot-air chamber, it may be carried back to the bottom ol the-furnace through a return-pipe, as the water returns through the pipe l, Fig. 8, to the bottom of the boiler, thus causing the same air to circulate continually7 and so economizing heat. If the floor is made of boards, as it maybe when hot water or steam is used for warming, there may be placed in the middle of the room or in any other part of it a piece of tile-work, lV, Fig. (i, of any shape or pattern which mayY be fancied, in and level with the lioor, which, beeomin g warmer than the board iioor, would be convenient to warm the feet on coming in; but as the heat trom the hot-air chamber or reservoir oi' heat will not only be conducted upward through the' floor, but also down ward through its lower boundary, (repren 2 am ver lower part of the room,where it is wanted for respiration, and only the vitiated air from the lungs and ski u, being lightest,wi ll rise and escape at openings above. The space, then, represented by F, Fig. l, between the lower boundary of the hot-air chamber or reservoir of heat and the ordinary ceilin of the room below, is used for what 'I term the fresh-air chamber. The fresh air from without, being brought in through an air-duct, (represented by A', Fig. 1,) enters this fresh-air chamber F from the under side, and, iowing in all directions against the lower boundary ot' the hotair chamber, becomes warmed to la moderate l temperature, and, rising, enters the room all around the sides a little above the i'loor through a perforated board or a slit extending around the room B, Fig. l.

When it may be thought best, the hot-air chamber may be continued upward around the bottom of the walls a toot or two above the floor, or as high as may be found necessary to warm the room. This would probably be found best in school-houses, churches, &c., where many persons are crowded together, requiring a greater amount of ventilation, and (':onsequently a greater expenditure of heat. ln suoli case the fresh-air chamber should extend up as high as the hot-ai r chamber. ln suoli rooms, also, the openings for the admission of fresh air should not only extend around the lower part of the walls, but should also be made under seats or at other convenient places in the interior of the room. Openings should,

of course, be made in or near the ceiling with tubes to conduct away the foul air as it rises. lVhen a 'large Yamount of ventilation is rcquired, as in school-houses and other public buildings, some mechanical force, as steampower, should be used to force in fresh air and drive out the vitiated air; or a windwheel, with a governor and self-adjustable wings, so that its motion would be nearly uniform whether the winds were rapid or slow, might be cheaply erected to assist ventilation. The iioor of rooms warmed in this manner should be put down in sections or panels with screws N, Fig. G. At least there 'should be such panels placed wherever there are joints in the pipes below, so that they maybe easily taken up in case of leakage in the pipes.

In cases where it maybe preferred to warm the llower rooms or first story by grates or other ordinary method this system may be applied to the warming of the upper rooms Ysuspended in a box below the 'car E', Fig. 7

as follows, using the waste heat from the fire below for that purpose: XVithin the ordinary brick flue or chimney I place a smaller flue, of proper shape and size, made of sheet-iron or other suitable material, leaving a space all around between it and the sides of the chimney. A horizont-al section of such an arrangement is represented at E, Fig. S. This channel between the inner smoke-flue and chimney opens below behind the grate into the external atmosphere or other convenient supply ot' air. This air, becoming heated by contact with the smoke-liuc, (up which threefourths of the heat from an ordinary gratelire' passes,) rises in a current. At or just below the level of the Hoor of the upper room or second story this ascending current of hot airis olistructed, or, rath er, turned inward, by a plate or diaphragm, E, Fig. 5, which represents a side View of a chimneyso arranged, and made to circulate through pipes in a hotair chamber under th e ti oor of this upper room, as shown in Fig. El, which represent-s a horizontal Vsection of the chimney and the tem of pipes through which the air circulates in the direction of the arrows. The air returning into the channel in the chimney above the diaphragm E, Fig. 5, again ascends upward. These pipes should be made of dilferent materials and of dilterent shape in their different parts, as hereinafter more fully described, beginning wherc the air is hottest in a round pipe of bad conducting qualities, as clay or tin; and ending in a broad atpipe et' good conducting qualities, sheet-iron, so as to distribute the heat uniformly throughout their length, Fig. 3, or the hot air, being conducted in a pipe or pipes to the part of the hot-air chamber farthest from the chimney, may be allowed to How out through the whole hot-air chamber as through one broad flue, and so return to the hot-air channel in the chimney. To promote ventilation, openings should be made from the ceilings of the several rooms into this hot-air channel to carry olf the foul air of respiration. Of course a fresh-air chamber should be provided below this hot-air chamber, as before described. Instead of using hot air, the waste heat of the Aflue or chimney may be applied to heating water in a coil of pipes all around the sides of the chimney from the grate below up to the floor ofv the room above and there circulating through a hot-air chamber, as before described.

In applying this system to the warming ot' railroad-oars the boiler or furnace should be 9 with a trap-door opening from the aisle of the car down into said box for the purpose of getting down into the box to make the fires, &c. rlhe wood or other fuel should also be placed in this box, so that the dirt will' be,

kept out of the car, a trap-door being made in the bottom or side of the box to throw out ashes and dirt. Thus the car will be left clean and clear for the occupation of passen'.-

` Y l I gers instead ot being oeeupied by stoves and wood-boxes,whieh now usually displace about six passengers in each oar; also, by warming a ear by this plan, passengers will be equally eomfortable in every part of the ear and the :t'eet will be kept as warm as the head. The box for eontaining the turnaee, fuel, &e., should be attaehed to the bottom ot' the ear by means oli' links, staples, and bolts, or by screws and nuts, so as to be eapable of lileing removed in summer and: again reljllaeed in winter. The agent At'orwarming a ear (as was said olf the warming of rooms) may be either hot water, steam, or hot air.

ln warming ears by hot-air pipes, inasmueh as these pipes, it made ol' the same ma terialand shape throughout theirentire length, would be mueh hotter near the tiurnaee than at a distanee trom it, they should be made of dit'tferent material and ot' dilli'ment shape in their different parts, beginning at; the t'urnaee in a round tin or double pipe, (l, Fig. ll, changing at some distanee t'romV the furnaee into a round sh eet'iron pipe, and gradual ly tl atten in g near the end ot' the ear. lt should return in abroad l'lat sheetiron tine, /1,.l `ig. tl, so that the heat shall be distributed as nearly as possible uniformly throughout the entire lengt l1 ol` the pipe. Thus the bottom ol" the ear will be warmed equally throughout its entire length. The Al'resh air, being' brought down in pipes lrom the top olf the ear and made to enter at several plaees along under the Center ot' the ear, between the lower floor or eeiling under the ,ioists at the bottom ot' the ear and the lower boundary of the hot-air chamber, eireulates against the latter, and, beeoming slightly warmed, enters at numerous openings along the sides of the ear near the floor, as bettn'e dt-xseribed in ease olithe room R, lfig. l, the foul air passing out through the usual openings at the top ot' the ear.

What l Claim as my own invmition, and desire to seeure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The arrangement of the hot-airehamber or reservoir of heat for warming the floor and lower part of the walls, in connection with the arrangement for the introduction at the bottom of the room of inoderately-warmed fresh air wl'iieh has not been in Contact with the hot: metallie surface either of hot-water pipes or steam-pipes or ot' a stove or furnace or any other highly-heated surface, substanti ally as above set t'orth.

L. The use ot the lower and outer boundary ot' the hot-ai r ehamber as a large non-metallic warmi11g-surface tor the purpose ot' warming to a moderate degree the fresh air before it enters the room, substantially as set forth.

3. In ease ot warming the upper rooms by the waste heat ot' the llire in the lower story, the arrangement ol' an inner smoke-tine within the briek Hue or ehimney E, Fig. 3, and the diaphragm E, liig. 5, for turning the eurrent olhot air rising between this inner smoke-line and the sides of the Chimney inward under the l'loor of the upper room for warming it, or any equivalent deviee, substantially as set lorth.

i. ,In using hot-air pipes lor warming ears or rooms, the making ol said pipes in their dit't'erent parts ot' dilierent materials and oi' different shapes` so that their eom'lueting and radiating power shall increase as the distance from the furnace or source of heat increases and as the temperature o1' the air within them decreases, so that they shall distribute the heat as nearly uniformly as possible through out their entire length, substantially as above set forth.

This .lllth day ol,l April, in the year ol our Lord lStl?.

A. RoBBINs, DAVID A. BURR. 

